Outdoor cooking devices have been in existence for many decades. One of the most popular types of cooking devices that is presently being marketed by the Assignee of the present invention is commonly referred to as a barbeque kettle. The barbeque kettle consists of a generally hemispherical bowl that has a circular open top with a cooking surface slightly below the upper edge or rim of the bowl and a cover. The bowl is supported on some type of a structure, usually a tripod leg arrangement. This kettle configuration is a trademark of the Assignee of the present invention.
Barbeque kettles that are designed for burning charcoal as a fuel also have a second grid for supporting the charcoal below the cooking surface and the bowl and cover have vent openings to provide the necessary oxygen for combustion of the charcoal while the cover is closed.
One type of barbeque kettle that has received very favorable acceptance by consumers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,248, owned by the Assignee of the present invention, which is sold under the trademark ONE TOUCH.RTM..
This barbeque kettle has elongated slots for vent holes in the bowl that are designed to be closed by elongated rake arms that are connected to a center post with an external handle connected to the post so that all arms are moved simultaneously. The arms act as rakes to move any ashes accumulated in the bottom of the bowl to the elongated slots.
Many times it is desirable to have the cover partially shield the cooking surface, such as during outdoor cooking in extremely windy conditions. Various mechanisms have been proposed, and one example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,574, assigned to the Assignee of the present invention.
With the increased use of the barbeque kettle as a replacement for the oven in the kitchen, it is many times desirable to know the internal temperature of the kettle. The above-mentioned application discloses a thermometer that senses the internal temperature and can also be used for sensing the temperature of food being prepared through the use of a chart that converts the temperature reading on the thermometer to an equivalent cooking degree, such as rare or medium.
When cooking larger items, such as turkey, roasts or the like, an indirect cooking method is used. For indirect cooking, a foil pan is inserted onto the charcoal grid below the food and the charcoal is placed on opposite sides of the pan. When steaks or the like are being cooked, it is customary to use the direct method of cooking where the entire grid is covered with charcoal so that the dripping fats from the food are ignited and sear the food.